Increased interest in machine automation at MACH 2026

According to David Waghorn, managing director of Hurco Europe, the MACH exhibition this year generated some outstanding results for the company. Visitor attendance appeared to be similar to 2024, which was reflected in the number of badges scanned by Hurco hospitality staff. There were some huge positives in terms of the quality of enquiries for new machines and the volume of business done on the stand. Taking all these factors into account, the show was significantly more successful for Hurco than two years ago.

Of particular interest and drawing the largest crowds were two automated production cells, which took centre stage on the company’s 220 square metre stand. ‘Smarter CNC for Smarter Shops’ was the theme this year, emphasising that the company’s machine tools are intelligent, intuitive and operator-friendly, so reliance on specialist programmers is reduced.

Hurco’s first-ever machine tending cell based on a 6-axis industrial robot brought significant praise. It comprised a cantilever-design, 5-axis VC500i VMC (vertical machining centre) equipped with a Kawasaki PC25 robot and storage system. It is the first offering to result from the strategic collaboration between Kawasaki Robotics and Hurco that was announced at IMTS 2024 in Chicago. The cell is an automation solution that combines the additional load handling capacity of an industrial robot with the added benefit of easy-to-use, app-based programming at the Hurco control.

Additionally, there was a Hurco ProCobot Profeeder X with 10 drawers assisting the production of parts on a Hurco VM20i 3-axis VMC. The ProCobot range is becoming an established feature of the supplier’s range, with several successful installations now spread across the UK. Notable were the number of existing ProCobot users visiting the show to discuss a second or third automation project, having already proven the technology in their factories. 

The breadth of 5-axis solutions on display generated considerable interest. They included the highly adaptable VMX42SRTi machining centre equipped with direct-drive B and C axes and for the first time with a 60-station tool changer, as well as the cantilever-style VC500i, which ensures easy access for fixturing oversize components. Designed with the budget-conscious in mind as an entry point into 5-axis machining, the economical C-frame VMX30Ui was also featured. 

The large stand ensured that there was sufficient space to display two driven-tool turning centres - the TMX8MYSi with Y-axis and sub-spindle and the more compact TM8Mi with programmable C-axis. These models allow a greater number of more complex operations to be performed on a turned part in a single handling. Even gear hobbing and polygon turning are now easily achievable.

Additionally, the Roeders RPT450DS EcoSpray made its premiere in the UK. This versatile, 5-axis machine integrates milling, jig grinding and measuring capabilities, delivering exceptional precision even in unstable thermal environments. Its appearance highlighted Hurco's 20-year history as the exclusive distributor of the German manufacturer’s high-speed, ultra-precision machines in the UK and Ireland. 

As is traditional, a special Hurco beer was brewed for the occasion by the Red Rock Brewery in Devon. WinMaxberg IPA, “probably the best control in the world”, proved popular throughout the show, often enticing customers to return to the stand multiple times throughout the day.

Mr Waghorn concluded, “The outcome from a MACH show is always difficult to assess. Taking into account the relatively high value of the technology people are considering, it can be as much as two years later that an enquiry results in a machine purchase. 

“However, based on orders in excess of £1.5 million we took on the stand, plus more than 200 quotations we are preparing following enquiries at the exhibition, it is assured that Hurco will be returning for MACH 2028 with a similar presence.”

www.hurco.co.uk